A Thread on the joys of village cricket

[Admin]

May 20, 2022 9:59:19 GMT oldhamexile said:

Enjoying these reports Admin.

Bit of fun, got tomorrow's team this morning bit perplexed to see we had only 7 men and no keeper but we have borrowed 4 players from Fylde all be youngsters plus a keeper however to say the batting is thread bare is an understatment the phrase Tail Enders strikes a chord

[Admin]

palaceshield.play-cricket.com/website/results/5102146

Good news won the toss 4 out of four, even better news we have now appointed a permanent Captain and it ain't me, back to the ranks although may be a couple of weeks before I step out onto the field again.
Both sides had ten men, they had a side mostly of older players with three youngsters, we had four lads under 14 three of them loans and one over 30 who this was only his second ever game of cricket.
Sent them into bat, they made a solid start before losing two wickets at 45.
They should have lost a third before theyreached a 100 hiwever I drpped their captain when he was mid 40's he made 151 not out also when dropping catch damaged thumb, still wollen now, old phrase catch ball you tend not to get injured.
All four of our 14 years olds bowled, the best of the four being young Theo Smith who took a wicket, more of him later.
Every body stuck to teh task although we also dropped two more catches and fielding at times was best described as ropey.
We were never in a million years going to get 260 to win.
We lost wickets on a regular basis and at 56-6 looking down the barrel, went in on a hat trick ball, middle the ball for the first time this season however the pain fro the thumb injury was intense, but playing the wounded soldier stuck around with young Theo.
Was a pleasure to bat with this lad, we managed to put on 49, had the pleasure of facing two left arm over the wicket bowlers the first Hesmondhalgh was useful, the second a young lad, he bowled two overs, windmill action, so guessing were the ball would go was down to guess work, miles ouside leg, then miles ouside off, first bounce a in front of the keeper or a rebound off the moon insterpersed with a good ball.
His two overs cost 26.
As soon as I went bowled again we quickly folded young Theo Smith 35 not out.
Make a note of the name, if he stays with the game this lad could go far, he is that good and he is not 14.

[Admin]

After a run of 50 plus consecutive game this rigid digit damage means won't be playing this weekend

[oldhamexile]

Ouch! that looks very painful.
I've been trying to watch more of my local village team, Boxmoor CC near Hemel Hempstead this summer. Really enjoying it, Sunday was good. At one end a 77yo offie bowling, at the other a lad bowling something like moon balls took three wickets in two overs as batters kept slapping him straight to fielders. It's a lovely ground, they've been there over 160 years.

[Admin]

May 26, 2022 14:16:38 GMT oldhamexile said:

Ouch! that looks very painful.
I've been trying to watch more of my local village team, Boxmoor CC near Hemel Hempstead this summer. Really enjoying it, Sunday was good. At one end a 77yo offie bowling, at the other a lad bowling something like moon balls took three wickets in two overs as batters kept slapping him straight to fielders. It's a lovely ground, they've been there over 160 years.

Looking like a trip to Blackpool Vic probably Sunday
Stumper last year aged 74 best in the league by a country distance

[Admin]

palaceshield.play-cricket.com/website/results/5102092

This week it is from the scorebox, given I didn't play




Heart truly sank when I saw this wicket actually not playing on a wicket which looked excellent, Kirkham Grammar they look after cricketers, we won the toss and inserted them, having seen the side that was picked we had about 8 likely tailenders and so it proved.
Young Lupton another of loannees from Fylde and bowled quite well medium fast good action caused problems. If I remember rightly they put on about 50 for the first wicket, they took advantage of the change bowlers although basically all of Parkinson's runs came on the leg side.
We have some legs who struggle in the field and as you would expect some catches went to them and down they went, even the captain dropped one, like the captain the week before .
Young James got two wickets, as he is only 13 will improve as he gets older.


The disappointment was we had no batting and they didn't have any bowlers, the first over went for 12 and from then on in it was downhill, Butcher ended up with 4-4 bowled a useful yorler but more experienced batsmen would probably have coped with him better, so 50 all out in the basement battle, think we may come bottom again this season.


And now tales of knackered digit had an X Ray nothing broken hope to be back a week on Saturday, as for this Saturday struggling to get the numbers out, gone are the days when sides use to have three awaiting drop outs

[Admin]

Cannot raise a side this weekend 4/6/2022

[Admin]

wyre.play-cricket.com/website/results/5102052



After missing one game through injury and the other as we couldn't raise a side, so it was off to sunny Preston to play BAE Preston at the Riverside ground. Set off nearly two hours before the game plenty of time to get there, twenty minutes waiting at the butty shop due to a queue, get to Kirkham roads are shut as it's obviously Kirkham Gala also temporary traffic lights, so bit of a re route through Weeton but missed the junction in Weeton and ended up near the M55 junction in Blackpool, from then on in stuck behind dodgy drivers and misssed every set of light. Get to the ground after a 75 minute journey it is 20 miles.
The wicket was quite interesting as pictured below



Not saying it was green but it looked like it had been hit by a ten week deluge, then watered after that, so win toss and bowl was the option, so for the first time this season we lose the toss and are put in to bat.
The wicket was true to it's colour slow low and hard to bat on, we managed 31 probably about 30 short of what would have been a useful score, seven ducks, and to a succession of majestical text book shots, Danny C went fishing as he usually does, however the ball was straight, missed Jamie's wicket as I went to get my batting stuff, Steve R scooped one to mid on, Mark L unlucky caught at the second attempt, young James was bowled then Alex was run out. Lasted 9 balls and as per usuall with my dodgy eyesite missed a full toss. Dave L lasted one ball, Tom lasted one ball, Neil topped scored and Glen got a few runs.
Rizwan Ali 7-4

Nothing to lose, we actually made them work for it, 13 year old James bowled his best spell made the ball swing the opening left hander didn't have a clue against him. the new man in looked like he could hit skied one were Danny C wearing the gloves decided it was his catch and took it and the other opener scooped Glen to square leg took them just over 13 overs to get them shame we could have a got a couple of others might have made it interesting.
Any off to the pub next to the river spent two hours in there just 10 minutes shorter than the game lasted apparently I'm 42 nd in list of all time run scorers for teh club just a meagre 3100 runs behind the leader.

[Admin]

palaceshield.play-cricket.com/website/results/5102122

palaceshield.play-cricket.com/website/results/5102144

Played in neither of these which we won, clue to our rapid improvement in form, first team did not have a game on both Saturdays therefore all those that were eligible to play did therefore we won, we don't play this Saturday but the firsts do, so will it be full of second teamers me thinks not

[Admin]

We had no game today but the lad who scored 90 and 60 for us scored 102 not out for the firsts

[Admin]

Looks as if we are struggling for a team this week, July holidays etc if we are forced to cancel for the third time, we will have resign from the league, get the feeling this thread is almost at an end

[Admin]

palaceshield.play-cricket.com/website/results/5102132

For the third time this season we lost by less than 10 runs, I got four wickets and feel deflated that we didn't win. Going into the game as captain surveyed the side on Thursday and thought only 9 decent bowling attack no batsmen as is tradition. Come Saturday we have 11 a couple of changes, still a decent bowling attack but with added batsmen to boot. Happy days, playing at White Coppice to the North of Chorley a area popular with people who like to walk up mountains, it's steep and these days I can only dream of scaling these vast peaks.
Weather set fair, win toss and bowl was the option, lost toss and still bowled, the only partnership of note was for the second wicket but we gradually worked our way through them, we only dropped one catch, Neil Hankey a man who does not drop catches dropped tthis one to be fair wasn't easy.
Both opening bowlers bowled well with Dave Lever bowling his full allottment of 14 overs taking 3-31 super effort, after a spell from Chris Minmshull who hadn't played all season, he described his lungs as being on fire after his four overs, so for only the second time this season I lobbed the red missile down t'other end.
They had an Austitic lad playing for them, LBW, got on caught behind, one caught just behind square on the boundary and bowled the last man. 6-3-14-4 take that, chasing 85 a decent performance in the field with people in right fielding positions. We needed 85 definitely getable.
Six from the first over, we are cooking, first ball second over Neil Hankey creams a short delivery straight back at the bowler who takes the catch. From then on every time the ball was sent into orbit it landed in the safe grip of the fielder even the lad with Autism caught one. The two lads who were guareenteed to get us runs didn't so at 56-8 I go to the wicket to play a match winning captains innings as you do. Well not quite got the score to 74-9 when Dave Lever dragged one on, so it was down to me and Tom who is very new to the game, eeked a couple of runs out but Tom was stumped and we lost by 7 runs
They say it's the taking part that counts not today it doesn't.

[lancsdes]

Hard luck Admin.

I remember the first time I ever saw that lovely ground in 1975. Have walked the hills around it many times, but like you, can’t do it any more.

[Admin]

wyre.play-cricket.com/website/results/5102145

wyre.play-cricket.com/website/results/5102102

First up was Charnock Richard they were league leaders at the time and as I right still are, we won the toss and batted lost an early wicket to Matthews who has the most wickets in the Division, short run up whippy action for this league decent, we had a solid but ever so slow start, we crawled along to 61-5 before the Dave the Hammer Lever battered his way to his highest ever score helped by the whippet Danny Carter, a partnership of 55 in no time took us to a respectable score of 115-6.
Always looked slightly under par against an experienced batting line up, although we took wickets at various states getting all ten looked an uphill task as it proved could have done with another bowler but not to be. However we did have the it's so village cricket incident, we batted and after the fall of the first wicket in Charnock's innings, the new batsman wanted the sight screen moving, nothing unusual in that except the actual board was 20 yaerds to the right of the umpire and not one of ours had noticed, no wonder we don't win.
On the Sunday we played a friendly at Lancaster RGS against Gregson Cricket Club, we had only eight men, so borrowed three of Gregson's players worked a treat won by 90 runs. Andy Bamford scored 95 not out and we managed to get them all out for about 100, twas a bit warm.
As for New Longton rain delayed match lost the toss and didn't get enough, will put more details on when they eventually get round to putting the scorecard on.
However my 9 ball spell went like this
.6.w.ww44

[Admin]

In rain games it's always an advantage to win toss and bat second, we did neither therefore batted first and lost, a 32 over game against a side who were beatable and we couldn't have got off to a better start 50 plus opening stand against some indifferent bowling on an odd wicket, slower than it looked. Messers N Hankey and Clayton did the damage, we started to slow down as wickets started to fall but managed 135-9, milestones James Rawcliffe hit his first ever boundary and Dave Hankey scored his first ever run and the offield banter ended up with us comiing to the conclusion that Michael Jackson was still alive, which in a way is correct as he was caretaker Manager at Burnley.
Got the first wicket at 48 by which time the sinking feeling we were not going to get anything from the game as Jeffries seemed to hit every ball into the field behind the sightscreen, small ground but effortless hitting. Entered thefray at 122-1 and promptly took three wicketsincluding Jeffries caught on the boundary by Neil Hankay, good catch as well.
Sam Wilson did a Stuart Broad caught behind seemed surprised when the umpire gave him out, Wolfenden went first ball, now on a hat trick bowled a pie went for 4 as did the next ball and that was game over
Strangely we have moved well clear of the bottom side as they were docked points for not playing.

The wicket



The field were 6 sixes ended up in